Air release apparatus



Feb. 23, 1960 w. P. scHlRMR ETAL 2,925,823

AIR RELEASE APPARATUS Filed Oct. 5, 1953 United States Patent O l.nuintrisasu.antifa mms Waldoi'P. Schirmer, Cleveland, and Richard A. Knaus, Shakerilieights, Ohio, assgnorstby mesne assianlnelnts,y toMSyurmguru-,Wayne` Corporation, Salisbury, Md., a .corporation of Maryland i f .applicationoctober-s,1953,21serial-No. stx-3,995

invention relates to air, vapor o r gas releases and priming devices for pumps in' closed discharge system, the-most importantobject of the invention being to provide an air release for an air accumulator which removes the air from a iluid system quickly and positively upo each operation of the? pumpe' j z.

Another objeclthof this `inventionis` to provide an air release capabletofreiioving' smallquantities of air continuously while discharging la minimum of lluid.

A'further object 4of the invention is to provide an air release* having a relativelylargevent operable only `when large quantities ofair are to be removed and a smallfvent capable of removing `air inan'rounts` insufficient to` cause operation of the large veut, to avoid recirculating large quantities of liquid Another object of the invention is to provide an air i 2,925,823 v `Patented Feb. 23, 1960 toward the closed position and'further; discharge of ilud 1s prevented@ The discharge area of the valve is somewhat smaller than' the area of the inlet 16 and con` sequently'the discharge of liquid from the chamber is at a lower rate than Vthe input thereof.

A` second outlet port 30 is located in the lower-portion of thechamb'er `10 and hasa vertical conduit 32 connected' therewith. The conduit 32 extends to the top portion ofthe chamberf10 and has its upper end termi-V nated within the dome 14 and spaced slightly from the upper wall of the chamber 10. An oriiice 34 is formed in? the outlet 30v and is of a cross-section less than the cross-section of. outlet port 18. A second orifice 36 is provided in the side wall of the conduit 32 near the lower end thereof. The orifice 36 has a smaller flow capacity than theorilice 34.`

TheV air release may beused in a hydraulic system ineluded? herein diagramatically as an example. A pump 38 has a suction line` 40 connected to a source of liquid supply to be pumped; the suction line 40 havingthe usuali foot, valve located at the end thereof. A check valve 44 is located in the pump discharge line 46 intermediatethe pump38 andl a metering device (notshown). A connection 48 Visn-lade between the pump discharge and the inleteport'- 16 of the .air release for the passage ofr airand iluid thereto. The operation of the system '1 would be enhanced in some instances by the inclusion of release capable of quickly disposing of air in large amounts without imposing a back pressure on the discharge portion of the system.

Other objects and advantages more or less ancilliary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forththe preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings: t

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is used with a hydraulic supply system which is shown diagrammatically.

The air release is used to remove accumulated air and gases from a hydraulic system to facilitate the priming of the pump. Also, in the use of a meter for measuring quantities of uid, it is essential that 'the liquid passing therethrough be free from entrapped air or gas if yan accurate measurement is to be made. If the system is started and'stopped frequently, a small amount of air leakage would render the measurements inaccurate on eachoperaton and would render the system impractical for many purposes, such as a proportioning system.

To accomplish the rapid and continuous air elimination necessary to ensure the proper operation of a hydraulic system, we have provided an air release having la chamber 10 with a cover 12 removably fixed thereto, the cover 12 forming the upper portion of the chamber 10. A dome 14 is formed in the cover 12 to provide an air pocket for accumulating the air as the fluid rises in the chamber 10.

An inlet port 16 is formed in the wall of the chamber 10 adjacent to the top thereof and is of a size which will accommodate the Huid flow from the supply system. An outlet port 18 is provided in the lower portion of the chamber 10.

A valve having a seat 20 is in register with the outlet port 18. A valve member 22 is shiftable to a closing position in engagement with the seat 20 and is actuated by a iioat 24 mounted on an arm 26 pivoted to a stand 28. As the oat 24 rises, as a result of a rise in the liquid in the chamber 10, the valve member 22 is moved an air separator in the pump discharge line 46 with the air ventonnection being made to theair release. A re-` turn line 50 connects the outletl ports 18 and 30` to' a float chamber 52 which is vented to the atmosphere by the vent 54. A oat valve 56 allows the return of uid from the chamber 52 to the suction line 40 by Way of a connection 58 therebetween. If the source of supply is vented to the atmosphere and remains at atmospheric pressure, the return line 50 may be connected thereto thus allowing the air release to discharge directly to the source of supply.

If the foot valve is leaky, the suction line 40 will fill with air or vapor which must be removed from the system before iluid flow of fluid is obtained. With the chamber 10 ,empty of iluid, the oat 24 is in a lower position and the interior of the chamber 10 is open to the return line 50. In this condition, the air release is at atmospheric pressure aud is vented to the atmosphere in order that the air and vapor in the pumping system may pass therethrough. On starting the pump, the air is discharged into the chamber 10 since a column of liquid would be resting on the check valve 44 and would prevent the entrance of air therein. Air entering the chamber will be immediately discharged and no appreciable pressure will be built up therein. It is noted that the pump will be primed with each since the discharge of the pump is maintained at atmospheric pressure and it is not necessary to prime against an increase in pressure as in the usual case.

When the `air has been pushed out of the system by the presence of liquid, the fluid will enter the inlet 16 and due to the restriction of the liow from the outlet, the chamber 10 will begin to fill. However, due to the location of the conduit 32, air from the upper portion of the chamber 10 will be continuously exhausted, allowing the chamber to continue to ll and the fluid to raise the float 24 and close the outlet 13.

With the outlet 18 closed, the chamber 10 continues to fill as the air is released from the top of the chamber 10 through the orifice 34. When the liquid has reached the level of the Vtop of the conduity 32, the flow therethrough continues at a rate as regulated by the size of the orilice 34. The diameter of the orifice 34 is not limited to any particular size since the requirements of different systems and different pump capacities may alter the de sirable characteristics of the ow therethrough. However, it is essential that the orifice 34 be larger than orifice 36 sothat it will handle the dow of uid from orice'3v6 and the accumulated Y When the pump 38 is shut down and air Vaccumulates in the chamber 10, luid therein may discharge through the small orice 36 on -the sider of the conduit `3:2 and through the ori'ce'3'4 to the discharge line 50; When sulcient air enters the chamber tolower'the level of fluid to a point Where the lloat 24 begins toffall, the contents of the chamber 10 is immediately discharged to the chamber 52. The air release then is immediately ready to handle large quantities of air and efectf-immef I a vacuum which would prevent furtherow therefrom. Y

The device Vfunctions only in the event there is air to be eliminated. With the self-dumping feature, the device can never become air boundv or inoperative 'since the presence What is claimed it:

1. An air release apparatus comprising a closed chammer, an inlet port located in the upper portion of said chamber, a tirst outlet port located in the lower portion of said chamber, the crossfsection of said rst outlet port being smaller than the cross-section of said inlet port, a oat valve operative to close said rst outlet port when fluid in said chamber reaches a predetermined level, a second outlet portlocated in the lower part of said chamber having a cross-section smaller thanjthat of said vrst outlet port, a vertical conduit within said chambexyhaving its lower end surrounding said second outlet port and its upper end extendingto a-pointadjacent Vthe uppermost portion of said chamber, and an orifice in the side wall of said conduit in the lower portion of said chamber, said orilice having a cross-section smaller than that of said second y outlet port.

of air in the smallest quantities immediately opens the passages which allows the air to be discharged without restriction. f i

Although the foregoing description isvnecessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specilc 2. An air release apparatus as-dend in" claim l wherein the combined cross-slections'of the rst and second outlet ports is Andgreater VLthan `the cross-section of the inlet i I References Cited in the file of this patent 1,425,857 Harrison 'Aug. 15, 1922 2,037,245 "Leifheit-chilly Apr. 14, 1936 2,204,788 Borden"' ...a June 18, 1940 2,307,115 Diebe1fief'al.".. ...`...a rJan. 5, 1943 

